Your post festival detox guide

Follow our post-pigout cleansing plan to rid your body of all the toxins accumulated in your system.

It's that time of the year (after days of feasting on mithai, large festive spreads and alcohol!) when, you're left feeling uneasy with acidity, gas and bloating. "During festivals, the balance between calories needed and consumed (in the form of high-calorie fatty food) goes haywire, and those late-night teen-patti card sessions end up disrupting your exercise schedule the next day, resulting in a calorie load on the system," says Dr Gourdas Choudhuri, director and head, Department of Gastroen-terology & Hepatobiliary Sciences at Fortis Memorial Research Insti-tute, Gurgaon.

Taking drastic measures to set things right like starving yourself or resorting to celebrity cleansing techniques may seem like a good idea. Heard of Beyonce's much-hyped 'master cleanse', where you have 6-12 glasses of water mixed with lemon juice, cayenne pepper powder and maple syrup for at least 10 days? But nutritionists warn against it. Radical diets do more harm than  ood. They could cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, fatigue and loss of muscle mass from calorie deprivation.

"There's no scientific evidence to prove that such punishing detox diets really benefit in the long run. What's needed, instead, is a sensible approach to eating, together with some natural digestives like mint and asafoetida that will get your system back on track," says Neelanjana Singh, a Delhi-based nutritionist. Here are a few ideas (both traditional and new age) for a gentle, but effective post-Diwali detox:

TRY AYURVEDIC CLEANSING
"According to Ayurveda, faulty eating habits cause a weakening of Agni or 'digestive fire'. This, in turn, results in some consumed food remaining undigested or partially digested, that needs to be eliminated from the body," says Dr Shijoe Mathew Anchery, Ayurvedic physician, Ananda-In The Himalayas, Uttarakhand. "Fasting is an effective step towards getting the body's metabolism working to its optimum. In a 5-day detox programme, you can begin with a day of fasting when raw (seasonal) fruits and cooked vegetables (except potato, jackfruit) are eaten alternately every 2-3 hours. A little before sunset, you can have a dal-veggie broth or even moong/besan cheelas/dosas to fulfil the body's protein requirements. Post-sunset, only vegetable or dal-based soups are recommended," explains Mathew.

There's no restriction on the quantity of foods consumed. But caffeinated drinks, meat and milk are completely out. On subsequent days, have a vegetable-fruit combo juice (beetroot, carrot and apple with a little ginger is a good option) twice a day. Meals can be anything simple, vegetarian and easy-to-digest fare. For dinner, you can eat multi-grain rotis made of soya, ragi, green moong dal and wheat flour. Have this with vegetables, preferably green. "Through the 5 days of this detox diet, make variations in the veggies and dal (avoid urad), keeping the basics in mind. On the last night, take 1 tablespoon of triphala powder with warm water at bedtime. The next day, you may have 5-6 bowel movements, which is a natural part of detoxification. So, it's advisable to plan the post-Diwali detox in such a way that it ends on a Saturday, leaving you to rest on Sunday," suggests Mathew.

HYDRATE YOUR BODY
The basis of any detox programme is the importance of loading up on fluids that make it easier to flush out toxins from the body. This is especially helpful if you've had a peg too many in the festive season. As alcohol is a diuretic, it may cause frequent urination, leading to dehydration. "So, have 6-9 glasses of water daily. Drink fresh fruit juices (think pineapple, cucumber and sweet lime), sip herbal teas and have vegetable soups," advises Dr Nupur Krishnan, director, Bio-Logics Nutrition Clinic, Mumbai.

SAY HI TO FIBRE!
High-fibre food is another staple of a detox diet. "Fibres ensure smooth bowel movement, plus they bind cholesterol and help in its excretion," says Choudhuri. "Eat lots of fibre-rich fruits and vegetables like guava, orange, gooseberry, carrot, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, leek, okra, and onions," says Nupur Krishnan.

Digestive Remedies from the Kitchen
Your spice cabinet holds many therapeutic solutions. Try some of these:
1.  Boil 10-15 mint leaves with 1 tsp cumin seeds in 1 litre of water till the volume reduces to half. Cool and strain. "Have this 2-3 times a day after days of binge eating to get your digestion back on track," says Singh. Mint is believed to relax the involuntary muscles of the digestive tract, thereby providing relief from bloating and nausea and allowing
the accumulated gas to pass through the tract. Cumin seeds improve gut motility and help in digestion by boosting gastro-intestinal enzyme secretions really fast.
2.  "Mix grated ginger with lemon juice and have this mixture 2-3 times a day," recommends Singh. A study in the European Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that the phenolic compounds (mainly gingerol and shogaol) and other volatile oils present in ginger, stimulate digestion by speeding up the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine. They also stimulate secretion of saliva, bile and gastric enzymes that aid in digestion. "Similarly, lemon juice increases secretion of enzymes that detoxify the liver making it more efficient, says Nupur Krishnan.
3.  Chennai-based nutrition expert Dr Dharini Krishnan says, "In South India, there's a potent herbal cleansing preparation called Deepavali Legiyum/Marundhu, sold in shops and even prepared at home to help digestion. Made with dry ginger, pepper, jaggery and other ingredients, it's customary to have this powder early morning on Diwali."
4. Meenu Nageshwaran, a Delhi-based vegan chef, recommends a detox smoothie recipe: In a blender combine 5 or 6 spinach leaves and a handful of betel leaves, tulsi, mint and curry leaves, 2 fruits (apple/pear/papaya/guava), 1 glass water, a pinch of cinnamon, black pepper, turmeric, rock salt and lemon. Have it quickly, don't refrigerate.

Get the most out of your detox plan

Opt for smaller portions but eat at regular intervals, say every 2 to 3 hours. "If hungry in between meals, eat sprouts, fruits and have fresh juices" says Meenu Nageshwaran.
1. If you suffer from a medical condition, make sure you consult your doctor before trying a detox plan. "The phyto-chemicals in certain foods can also function as agents that retard the detoxification process. For instance, cholesterol-lowering statins become 12 times more concentrated in the blood when taken with grapefruit juice. So, medical history is important," says Nupur Krishnan. A detox is not advisable for pregnant women and those suffering from thyroid, liver and kidney problems. 2. Get enough exercise. "The energy is already present in the body in the form of calories accumulated during Diwali bingeing. Take regular walks or go swimming to burn off those calories," says Choudhuri. 3. "Sleep is also an important component of the detox process. Aim for at least 8 hours of slumber," advises Nupur Krishnan